Gustav Mahler

Moved as a boy by the charming simplicity of an organ-grinder's song, Mahler brought "street sounds" into his symphonies. As conductor, he demanded dynamic stage design and lighting and insisted on darkness in the hall, changing the nature of the conductor's role and introducing modern stagecraft. Even his appointment as director of the Vienna Court Opera at the precocious age of 37 was revolutionary. This program charts Mahler's life and professional career with commentary from musicologist Philippe Chambouard and selections of historic recordings from Mahler's oeuvre, such as Brigitte Fassbaender singing from Kindertotenlieder and Leonard Bernstein conducting Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) with mezzo-soprano Dame Janet Baker. Bernstein also conducts Symphonies No. 5 and No. 8, as well as the Adagio from No. 9.